Chapter Text
Father came up to them, offering Nico his sword.
It was odd, watching the satisfied smirk on her Father’s lips. She’d never seen him so content before, so proud of the carnage littering the streets before them.
Bianca could not blame him. They’d done the impossible- of course he would revel in the victory, being a major part in turning the tide.
Without her father and his following coming to aid, Bianca wasn’t all too sure the battle would have gone in their favor…
She took a second to rake her eyes over her father, amazed at his powerful composure. Not a single hair was out of place, his robes still void of dirt and skin free of injuries. He didn’t look tired at all- an amazing feat, considering he’d been the one to call an army and relentlessly attack with pitch-black fire.
Bianca swallowed, meeting her father’s eyes.
It was unexpected, in a way. He looked at them- her and Nico- differently, the annoyance which was once there had disappeared, replaced with something as warm as the god of the Underworld could muster.
His smirk slowly fell, however, as he looked up into the skies.
“Come,” He said, offering them both a hand. “We must make our way to Olympus.”
There was a gasp behind them, and Bianca found herself feeling just a little guilty over forgetting their presence.
Bianca just about turned around and asked them how they were doing, but was shocked when they ripped themselves away from the ground. The two quickly excused themselves, hastily making their way towards the Empire State Building.
It was their cue, as well, to start heading over.
Lady Persephone joined them, followed by Lady Demeter. It must have been a sigh- three well-composed gods leading their way, while two exhausted and frankly horrendous children followed along.
At least, Bianca felt horrendous. She desperately wanted some time to fix herself up, but whatever they were about to head into- it was urgent.
Papà dismissed the army of zombies behind him, clearing the streets of such densely populated undead. Together, all three of the gods began to walk.
She wasn’t sure if they were to follow along, but together, Nico and Bianca decided to trail right after the sweet, flowery scent and lingering sense of fear.
Their father was a man of few words, Bianca had quickly learned.
They took the way where no demigod went, free of judging eyes and slight frowns. Bianca did want to find her fellow friends, to engulf them in crushing hugs and check up on their overall health and… to simply be there for their mourning…
But it would have to wait, as much as it pained her.
Very few words were exchanged between all of them, except for the women. Lady Demeter found something new to fixate herself upon, all the while Lady Persephone rolled her eyes and exasperatedly begged her mother to stop it.
Papà looked pained between them, his usually cold and stoic face twisting into something of disbelief.
It was enough to make Bianca giggle.
The last thing Bianca had expected was to come across a bridge in the sky, but that’s exactly how they made their way into Olympus.
At some point in their trek, Father ushered them forward. It was possibly an attempt to shield them from the newfound bickering going on behind them, but whatever the case, Bianca was thankful for the little time she got to spend with her baby brother.
They stared at the wonders of Olympus, a little messy, yet still breathtakingly beautiful.
Beside her, Nico hesitated.
“Nico?” She tilted her head, noting the slight crease to his eyebrows. His helmet had been removed long ago, revealing every little emotion coming across his face.
“I want to go in…” He said, sending one longing look towards the glorious archway. “But what if…”
Somehow, Bianca understood.
They were walking into the home of the Olympians, a place where her father was explicitly not welcome. The other gods… she wasn’t sure how kindly they’d take to their presence, especially Zeus, who so clearly wanted them dead.
And not to mention Percy Jackson…
Bianca wasn’t blind. Nico held such a grand torch to that boy, but to Bianca, Percy was not worthy of such an honor. He’d hurt Nico far too gravely, taken such crude tone with him one too many times- Nico worried what others might say upon their appearance, but Bianca knew he was most concerned about Percy’s opinions.
A frown made its way to her face.
“It will be fine, fratellino.” She reached over to playfully ruffle his hair, trying to disperse the tense atmosphere. “They won’t dare turn us away- not after we’ve helped them to the best of our abilities.”
Even if Bianca didn’t completely believe her own words, she made sure to sound as convincing as possible. She also truly didn’t expect to be met with any warmth, but a bit of confidence was enough to get Nico smiling once more.
And that was all she ever wanted.
With that, they walked right into Olympus and into the crowd of campers and gods alike.
It turned out, Bianca’s confidence paid off. They were met with a hero’s welcome, cheers and applause echoing across the people she’d last seen so long ago…
Papà was met with a welcome of his own- cheers from the Olympians, claps on the back from his relatives… she doubted her father had ever been welcomed so freely into Olympus, given his absolutely stunned expression.
Eventually, everyone settled down for some Olympian Council. The twelve gods took to their thrones- Papà erecting a throne for himself- and thus began the long and frankly boring jumble of words.
Bianca and Nico had moved to sit beside their father’s throne, and once Father was thanked for his aid, they were ruffled on the head and pat on the shoulder respectively.
A caring gesture- one that made Nico look as happy as she’d ever seen him.
The rest of the council was shocking- not only were they thanked by the gods themselves, but Percy turned down immortality for something worth much more-
He’d made the gods promise to claim their children by the age of thirteen, to bring them to camp and help them deal with life as a demigod. Children of the minor gods would be given a place of their own, welcomed and respected at Camp Half-Blood. They would no longer be left out, cast aside in crude judgment and left to fend for themselves.
Bianca had felt her heart leap to her throat at the very thought of it. Children of Hades, accepted and welcomed at last.
The council dispersed after that, and before Bianca could make to find her friends, Papà pulled her and Nico aside.
He kneeled down, coming as close as he could to eye level with the both of them. It was unexpected, but even more unexpected were the matching rings resting on the palm of his hand.
They were a beautiful silver, carved in the shape of a tiny skull. The sockets of their eyes glowed a maddening red, and all around them, the little rings seemed to expend some familiar energy into the air.
It felt like the Underworld. Comforting, cool…
“Your mother… she had a third,” Father said, staring at the two rings glistening under the light. “I believe it is time you are given what is yours.”
With those few words, Papà offered them the rings.
Bianca carefully took hers, marveling at its beauty. Skulls and such were never much her style, but this… an exception could be made, for it was a gift far more precious than she could ever imagine.
A gift from their Father and Mother.
“Thank you, Papà.” Bianca bowed, willing herself not to think of their mother as she slipped the ring around her finger. A perfect fit.
Nico said nothing, too stunned to even blink upon the sight of such a wonderful gift.
Papà seemed to understand, his stony face softening just a touch. It looked like he wanted to say, something, but whatever it was, he never did utter a word.
Instead, Papà stood, regarding them with one final look of… something Bianca couldn’t make out. It reminded her of their very first meeting, back when the immediate threat of battle was nowhere near in sight…
He bid them farewell and disappeared into a cloud of darkness.
“Aren’t you going to put it on?” She gently nudged him by the shoulder, her smile warm and encouraging. “Here, I can do it for you.”
Bianca took the ring between her fingers, treating it with such care one would think it was made of glass. It might as well be, something so full of meaning and lost memories…
The ring slipped against Nico’s finger with ease, something Bianca couldn’t help but smile at. Nico smiled back, a healthy flush coating his cheeks.
Truly, Bianca did not expect to be crushed into a comforting, warm hug from her little brother, but there she was- receiving one of the best hugs she’d ever been given. Soon enough, Bianca lost herself in carding her fingers through those silky dark locks- which is when Bianca caught sight of a few familiar faces.
“Oh, wait right here, my little brother! I have a few things to do!” She told Nico as she detangled herself from his embrace, yet just as Bianca was about to run off, she thought better of it.
Nico had been so outgoing, once upon a time. After Bianca messed everything up, he’d been reduced to such a timid little thing with nobody to talk to- isolated from the kindness of the world and forced to doubt himself over any care he received.
He’d been manipulated, disrespected, neglected… and possibly been on the brunt end of many more horrendous things Bianca had yet to learn of.
His confidence had declined so excruciatingly low- but maybe Bianca could start him off on the right foot. Maybe she could introduce him to her friends,
“Or…” Bianca slowly turned around, all too aware of the gentle pressure welling over her heart. “Would you like to join me? Maybe meet some new friends, get to know one another…”
Nico looked at her, the remnants of joy completely wiped from his face. Now all that was left was nothing but… anxiousness.
“No…” He waved her off, eyes staying towards the side. “I think I’ll go grab some fresh air. I can wait for you down there, instead.”
Bianca blinked, looking from the distant entrance to Nico’s downturned lips. Really, she wanted to insist- to encourage Nico out of this mentality he’d put himself into, but even so… she didn’t want to break that little string of trust they’d formed throughout the past few days.
So she let him go, and with one final swallow down her dry throat, Bianca turned to the cluster of campers chatting around.
There, Lou Ellen met her halfway, enveloping Bianca in a hug so crushing it nearly snapped her in half.
Bianca didn’t mind, though. She happily returned the gesture, relishing in the passion and complete joy their meeting came with.
“You’re here!” Lou Ellen pulled away, looking Bianca over with wide eyes. “Gods, you’re actually here! You have no idea how worried I was! You have to stop disappearing for days on end like that—”
“Ah…” Bianca’s smile slid from her face. “I’m sorry. Things just… came up. I really had no idea I’d miss the majority of the confrontation.”
Lou Ellen hummed, the wild glint in her eyes sparkling under such news. “Are you kidding me? You rode into battle when morale was at an all-time low, faced Kronos straight on, and brought us three gods willing to fight alongside us? You’re heroes, all of you!”
Heroes. Bianca still couldn’t believe it.
“It was nothing…” She flushed, unsure how to go about the praise. It was something she’d never had thrown her way, and to see the absolute look of gratefulness on Lou Ellen’s face…
It was amazing, yet terrifying at the same time.
“It was absolutely everything!” Lou Ellen squealed, but suddenly, her face fell into absolute seriousness. “I doubt we would have been able to hold off without you. There were hardly any of us well enough to fight…”
Bianca gasped. “How many—”
“There’s a lot in the makeshift infirmary. Cecil’s there right now- idiot took a jab through the shoulder for me.” Lou Ellen rolled her eyes, a light smile making its way to her face. “Nobody’s seriously injured anymore. Will’s been running around ever since this whole thing started, getting the injured over to the infirmary, ordering around all the other medics, and now that he’s Head Counselor…”
Bianca nodded, falling absolutely silent.
She glanced over at the others, who looked far more relaxed than she had expected. Bianca wasn’t fooled, however- she could pick out the small wavers in their voices, the sadness in their eyes. Not everything was magically right, yet the relief of it all being over seemed to take a larger portion of their worries away.
“Are you all… going to be okay?”
Lou Ellen’s smile wobbled. “We’ll be fine. It, um… it’s not going to be easy, but we’ve just got to move on. W-What else can we do?”
It was a rhetorical question, Bianca knew- but there was nothing her mind could offer if it were genuine. The war took so much from them, left them with nothing but burning embers of a fire.
“Hey, cheer up. Now’s not the time for that. We try to focus on the positives—” Lou Ellen sucked in a breath, suddenly lighting up at whatever thought was on her mind. “You heard what Percy said, right? We’re getting our own cabins! How cool is that!”
Bianca couldn’t help but smile at Lou Ellen’s contagious excitement. “Very cool. I always hated how cramp the Hermes cabin was…”
…
She’d just made her way out of Olympus when Nico suddenly ran right past her.
Bianca blinked, and without wasting another second, ran right after him.
“What’s going on?” She fell into place beside him, nearly tripping over a slab of concrete.
“Rachel.” Was all he said, running right into The Empire State Building.
There, at the reception desk, were Percy, Annabeth, Ms. Jackson, and Mr. Blofis- a group Bianca half expected Nico to approach.
They looked like they were in a sincere conversation, but at the sight of Nico’s expression, everyone fell silent.
“It’s Rachel.” He told them. “I just ran into her down 32nd Street.”
Annabeth cocked her head, frowning. “What’s she done this time?”
Bianca leaned forward, eager to know just what had got Nico so jumbled up in nerves.
“It's where she's gone,” Nico gasped. “I told her she would die if she tried, but she insisted. She just took Blackjack and—"
“She took my pegasus?” Percy demanded.
Bianca ignored him, turning to her baby brother. “Where is she going?”
A nod. “She's heading to Half-Blood Hill. She said she had to get to camp.”
Everyone froze. Rachel… she was a clear-sighted mortal, but even then, Camp Half-Blood had defenses. If she did end up finding camp, there was quite a possibility she’d be hurt trying to get in.
All of them, minus the adults, took off towards the river.
“What was she thinking?” Annabeth mumbled, and sure, Bianca was curious- but with so many things going on at once, it was hard to concentrate.
Traffic was horrible. Everybody was out on the streets gawking at the war zone damage. Police sirens wailed on every block. There was no possibility of calling any sort of help from land- so they ran, pushing through the mobs of dazed mortals that clogged the sidewalks.
“She'll never get through the defenses,” Annabeth said. “Peleus will eat her.”
That’s right. Just another worry to add to the list.
“We've got to hurry.” Percy glanced back at them- more specifically, at Nico. “I don't suppose you could conjure up some skeleton horses.”
Bianca frowned. “Of course not! Just look at him!”
And it was true- Nico looked far worse than the rest of them, despite the downtime they’d had after the Olympic Council. Something about Nico’s powers… they drained him more than anything any demigod experiences, and given his years on the run…
He had not developed properly, and for that, he is paying the price.
Beside her, Nico simply wheezed. “So tired… couldn't summon a dog bone.”
Finally, they scrambled over to the embankment by the shore. Percy let out a loud whistle, which miraculously attracted a creature Bianca just had to do a double-take on.
It was a horse on the top, and on the bottom… it had a giant fishtail.
“Rainbow!” Percy greeted. “How’s it going, buddy?”
Percy did his horse-talking thing, and after a couple more words, they were speeding off into Long Island Sound.
The experience was… different, but they made it there without harm.
Immediately after being dropped off at the beach, Argus greeted them with crossed arms.
“Is she here?” Percy asked.
Argus grimly nodded.
“Is everything okay?” Annabeth stepped forward, and this time, Argus shook his head.
It made Bianca worry even more, and together, they followed Argus up the trail. It was surreal being back at camp- everything looked so peaceful, no burning buildings, no wounded fighters… The cabins were bright in the sunshine, and the fields glittered with dew, but the place was mostly empty.
Up in the Big House, something was definitely wrong. Green light was shooting out all the windows, swirling around the yard and disappearing into the sky. It was almost beautiful, had they not suspected something terrible going on.
Bianca could breathe a little easier when, off to the side, she spotted Chiron.
He was in a horse-size stretcher by the volleyball pit, a bunch of satyrs standing around him. Blackjack cantered nervously in the grass, looking off to the Big House and back towards Percy.
When Bianca looked, she understood why- there, standing by the bottom of the porch steps, Rachel stood. Her arms were raised in the air, as if waiting for someone inside the house to throw her a ball.
“What's she doing?” Annabeth glared. “How did she get past the barriers?”
“She flew,” one of the satyrs said, looking accusingly at Blackjack. “Right past the dragon, right through the magic boundaries.”
“Rachel!” Percy called, but the satyrs stopped him when he tried to go any closer.
“Percy, don't,” Chiron warned. He winced as he tried to move. His left arm was in a sling, his two back legs were in splints, and his head was wrapped in bandages. He was… in a far worse condition than Bianca realized. “You can't interrupt.”
Percy looked as if someone had just slapped him. “I thought you explained things to her!”
“I did. And I invited her here.”
Now, Bianca had no idea what they were talking about, yet Percy stared at Chiron in disbelief. “You said you'd never let anyone try again! You said—"
“I know what I said, Percy. But I was wrong. Rachel had a vision about the curse of Hades. She believes it may be lifted now. She convinced me she deserves a chance.”
“And if the curse isn't lifted? If Hades hasn't gotten to that yet, she'll go crazy!”
Bianca winced, and beside her, Nico looked to the ground.
Just then, the green tendrils of light swirled around Rachel, casting a series of violent shivers upon her.
“Hey! Stop!” Percy ran right past the satyrs, but once he got to a certain point, he bounced back and crashed to the ground, as if he’d hit some invisible beach ball.
Bianca nearly gasped when Rachel turned to the disturbance, her eyes distant and movement jerky. It was like she could see them, but only in a dream.
“It's all right.” Her voice sounded far away. “This is why I've come.”
“You'll be destroyed!”
She shook her head. “This is where I belong, Percy. I finally understand why.”
Immediately after that chilling confession, the house began to rumble. Bianca held Nico close, tucking him protectively away from the ensuing chaos- but nothing of sorts ever came.
Instead, the door flew open and more green light poured out. There was this smell accompanying it, a warm, musty smell of snakes. More mist curled into about a hundred smoky serpents, slithering up the porch columns, curling around the house…
Then, the Oracle appeared in the doorway.
The withered mummy shuffled forward in her rainbow dress. She looked even worse than usual, with hair falling out in clumps, leathery skin cracking like the seat of a worn-out bus. Her glassy eyes stared blankly into space, but even so, Bianca could somehow tell she was being drawn to Rachel.
Rachel held her arms out. She didn't look scared.
“You've waited too long,” Rachel said. “But I'm here now.”
The sun blazed in the sky, and just then, a man appeared above the porch, floating in the air- a blond man in a white toga, with sunglasses and a cocky smile.
Bianca recognized that face anywhere…
“Lord Apollo,” She whispered, carefully drawn to his presence.
Lord Apollo held a finger to his lips, winking at the rest of them before turning to Rachel.
“Rachel Elizabeth Dare,” he said. “You have the gift of prophecy, but it is also a curse. Are you sure you want this?”
Rachel nodded. “It's my destiny.”
“Do you accept the risks?”
“I do.”
Lord Apollo nodded, looking almost… pleased. “Then proceed.”
Rachel closed her eyes. “I accept this role. I pledge myself to Apollo, God of Oracles. I open my eyes to the future and embrace the past. I accept the spirit of Delphi, Voice of the Gods, Speaker of Riddles, Seer of Fate…”
Bianca did not know where these words were coming from, but they flowed out of Rachel with ease. In response, the mist thickened, growing into a column of green smoke.
It was like a huge python, uncoiling itself from the mummy’s mouth and slithering down the stairs, curling affectionately around Rachel's feet. The Oracle's mummy crumbled, falling away until it was nothing but a pile of dust in an old, stained dress.
Around Rachel, the mist grew.
For a moment Rachel was enveloped in a thick fog. She was no longer present before them- a simply fog of green taking her place.
Then, the smoke cleared. Rachel collapsed, curling into the fetal position just a second later.
Bianca wanted to rush forward and check on her, as did the rest of them- but Lord Apollo kept them at bay, saying: “Stop! This is the most delicate part!”
“What's going on?” Bianca bit her lip, nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “What do you mean?”
Lord Apollo studied Rachel, his face filled with concern. “Either the spirit takes hold, or it doesn't.”
“And if it doesn't?” Annabeth asked.
“Five syllables,” he said, counting them on his fingers. “That would be real bad.”
And it truly looked like it was going bad, because just above Rachel’s curled-over form, a cloud of death hung thickly in the air.
Bianca had not had much experience with this, but somehow, she knew what this cloud meant.
Rachel was dying.
Despite Lord Apollo's warning, Percy ran forward and knelt over Rachel. The smell of the attic was gone, The Mist sank into the ground and the green light faded from the scenery before them.
But Rachel was still pale. She was barely breathing, her chest hardly rising and falling against the now still air.
Slowly, the cloud of death began to disperse.
Rachel’s eyes fluttered open soon after that. She focused on Percy with far too much difficulty than normal. “Percy.”
“Are you okay?” Percy asked, however, Rachel paid the question no mind. She tried to sit up, wincing in pain as she pressed her hands to her temples.
“Rachel,” Nico called, glancing over at Bianca. A silent conversation passed through their eyes, and eventually, they came to an understanding. They had both seen how close to death Rachel had been- concerningly close, even.
Bianca cleared her throat. “Your life aura almost completely faded. We… We could see you dying.”
Rachel’s eyes widened, but still, she looked far too calm for someone who had just been through such a thing.
“I'm all right,” Rachel murmured, reaching for Percy. “Please, help me up. The visions- they're a little disorienting.”
“Are you sure you're okay?” Percy asked, helping her to her feet. Rachel nodded, though the sickness in her face told another story…
Lord Apollo drifted down from the porch, clasping his hands together with such a bright smile, it was almost blinding. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the new Oracle of Delphi.”
Everyone fell silent- due to shock or disbelief, Bianca had no idea.
"You're kidding,” Annabeth spluttered, blinking rapidly at Rachel’s weak smile.
“It's a little surprising to me too, but this is my fate. I saw it when I was in New York. I know why I was born with true sight. I was meant to become the Oracle.”
Percy blinked. "You mean you can tell the future now?"
“Not all the time,” Rachel sighed, pressing a hand to her temple. “But there are visions, images, words in my mind. When someone asks me a question, I… Oh no—"
“It's starting,” Lord Apollo announced, stepping back with a gleeful smile on his lips.
Rachel doubled over like someone had punched her, but then, she stood up straight, her eyes glowing a creepy serpent green. When she spoke, her voice sounded tripled- like three Rachels were speaking at once:
“Seven half-bloods shall answer the call.
To storm or fire, the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.”
At the last word, Rachel collapsed. Bianca rushed forward, catching her alongside Percy and helping her towards the porch. Her skin was feverish, sickly-looking under the bright sun’s rays.
“I'm all right,” Rachel eventually spoke up, her voice returning to normal.
“What was that?” Percy asked, eyes wide and face slightly pale.
She shook her head, confused. “What was what?”
“I believe,” Lord Apollo said, “that we just heard the next Great Prophecy.”
Everyone froze, and even Bianca paled at the very suggestion of such a thing…
“What does it mean?” Percy demanded, sounding almost as sick as Rachel looked.
Rachel frowned at the ground, her lips pressed together in a thin line. “I don't even remember what I said.”
“No,” Lord Apollo mused. “The spirit will only speak through you occasionally. The rest of the time, our Rachel will be much as she's always been. There's no point in grilling her, even if she has just issued the next big prediction for the future of the world.”
“What?” Percy gaped. “But—"
“Percy,” Lord Apollo said, “I wouldn't worry too much. The last Great Prophecy about you took almost seventy years to complete. This one may not even happen in your lifetime.”
Distantly, Bianca knew this was possible. She had no real understanding of how these prophecies worked, but something about this one… it sent shivers down her spine.
Doors of Death, vague voices whispered in her ears. She had no idea what this could mean, but… Bianca was not looking forward to finding out.
“Maybe,” Percy eventually said, “but it didn't sound so good.”
“No,” Lord Apollo cheerfully shook his head. “It certainly didn't. She's going to make a wonderful Oracle!”
…
Camp went on late that summer, continuing on for two more weeks after the fated attack on Manhattan.
It was… hard at first. Right after Rachel had been deemed the Oracle of Delphi, things moved in slow motion for the remained of that day.
Bianca remembered watching the campers slowly trickle back to camp, all taking numerous forms of transportation. The wounded were cared for, and the dead…
There was great concern over the number of funeral rites that would be needed for that day. In the end, Bianca and Nico gladly took over the operation, making sure to give everyone a proper goodbye.
Bianca still remembered some of their faces. Silena… she once had a beautiful, gentle look to her that nobody could resist, but looking at her lifeless, poison-covered body… it was enough to make Bianca cry.
They made a shroud for Michael, even if there was no body to wrap.
Bianca had spent the rest of that day checking up with her friends- speaking to Drew, comforting Will… she had grown attached to their deceased siblings, so together, they grieved over their horrible deaths.
At some point in those coming days, Nico began to sit at the main table for each and every meal. Bianca had tried to coax him back to the Hermes table, but something kept pushing him away, making him hide from the curious eyes cast upon his form.
One of those days also happened to be when Percy and Annabeth were dumped into the canoe lake- a tradition of sorts for newfound couples to go through. She did not see Nico for the rest of that day.
Speaking of Nico… they were growing closer. Certainly, things were getting better with time.
Nico was nowhere near as free-spirited as he had been, but for the past two weeks, he’d slowly started to let his guard down. They could spend hours together, talking about nonsense and cracking simple jokes with a lightheartedness Bianca so desperately missed.
Currently, they were joking over the design plans for their cabin. Bianca teased him over his horrendous fixation with the color black, while Nico pointed out the honor it does to their father.
It was a continuous thing, but in the end, Nico won most of the disagreements. Bianca didn’t mind the black so much, as long as there were enough pops of color to not completely deem their cabin as a witch’s home.
“We can have the black paint, but you better believe there’s going to be one accent wall in there. Preferably some neon yellow with bright pink—"
“You wouldn’t.” Nico playfully rolled his eyes, moving to stand from their spot in the shade.
They had taken the paperwork for such a task and sprawled it across the grass, right under an enormous tree a little ways away. Travis had offered them a table, but Bianca vehemently refused- bringing a table into their planning would make it seem too professional, too polished and stiff for her current liking.
She preferred a little, careless setup like this. It was like their own little picnic, with lemonade as the refreshers and nothing else.
“You’re right. Maybe I would go for something brighter—”
Nico stuck his tongue out, and Bianca laughed. With that, he made his way back over to the foundation of their cabin.
Bianca took a sip of her lemonade, watching the other campers work together to build such beautiful cabins. There was much chaos going around, and Bianca smiled as Tyson led a group of Cyclops builders to Cabin Twenty.
Lou Ellen had told her of those huge stones the builders were carrying- each engraved with magical writing. If they dropped one, it would either explode or turn everyone within half a mile into a tree.
She hoped everything would be alright with that- Bianca did not want to be turned into a tree anytime soon.
The rest of the cabins were coming along nicely, a row of unfinished, yet beautiful buildings was beginning to take shape. They did not complement one another in the slightest, yet to Bianca, the blatant mismatching is what gave Camp Half-Blood’s cabins their charm.
She glanced back to Nico, who was currently commanding a few undead builders around their half-complete cabin. Cabin Thirteen.
A smile made its way to her face. Maybe things would finally settle down, and maybe- just maybe- they could enjoy the rest of their years within Camp Half-Blood’s walls.
It was all Bianca could hope for, in the end.